Talk to the inspector and give them this. Is needs to be installed by code!

https://www.bing.com/search?q=tyvek+house+wrap&qs=ONR&pq=tyvek+&sk=ONR1&sc=8-6&cvid=27F63712E33A4AD09F453E55A64D7B8A&FORM=QBLH&sp=2

Honestly code enforcement won't give a dam about the manufacturers instructions, they willl see the Tyvek and sign off in 98% of the jurisdictions in this country.

While not taping is not the end of the world, it does not change the permeability of the WRB at all or the walls ability to dry out.

Whats the purpose of putting it on, if it isnt done correctly? Following directions for things like tyvek and window flashing is very important to prevent water intrusion and mold.

cat_ky...if the Tyvek is not taped, but is properly lapped and adhered, you aren't getting mold in your walls or bulk moisture. Homes have been done for hundreds of years with tar paper and no tapes and both neither leaked or had mold in them. The real point of taping WRB is to attempt to tighten up the air barrier in the home and get that part tight.

Years ago i had had an actual rep from Tyvek tell me the real reason why they recommend taping the seams is based on a new comstruction home where tyvek will remain exposed for an extended period of time before the actual siding gets installed. The reason is if the unsided home is continually exposed to heavy wind, the wind can get behind the untaped seams and tear the tyvek leaving the substrate/ plywood exposed to the elements.

if siding is installed within a reasonable time frame, the siding will actually compress the seams or at least keep them from opening enough to cause exposure that can cause damage.

the 6 inch lap recommendation is just used in order to ensure that the tyvek is actually lapped. a 3 inch lap would suffice and something i would not lose sleep over.

I was told exaactly the same as Window1.

I think your concerns should be focused on the window flashing. The Tyvek is unlikely to be an issue unless there are voids in the overlap, which is probably unlikely.

Tyvek does two things:

1. it provides a breathable water barrier

2. it provides a breathable air barrier

I agree that you are probably over-thinking this. Your window flashing is critical - the amount of overlapping isn't as much. You do want enough overlap that water can't migrate horizontally. You are far more likely to get water around a badly flashed window than anything else.

Taping and sealing helps with the air barrier as well a prevent horizontal migration of water. My guess is that you don't have an effective air barrier at this point.

Paying attention to manufacture's instructions is pretty important -- and in general you want a contractor who follows those instructions and doesn't wing it. (BTW: Did they prime all the cut ends on the hardiplank? Did they use flashing on each butt joint? Did they use the proper nails? Did they use the proper spacing?)

It's so much more difficult to get things re-done than it is to make sure it's done right.

To the point above about " Homes have been done for hundreds of years with tar paper and no tapes and both neither leaked or had mold in them." That's true... but they didn't have OSB undernieth and they were generally very air permeable (ok, they leaked like a sieve) so they dried out. It's not an applicable comparison.

OK I feel better. I won't worry about the overlap if it is 2-3". Yes, they did prime all end cuts (only bc we required them to). I hope they used the right nails and I believe they did follow the spacing.

Our contractor has agreed to redo the window flashing correctly. However, we have to get on the same page on exactly what that means.

We are making progress. thanks!

Window flashing will rot a wall in 3-5 years -- long after the check has cleared and any warranty is forgotten about.

You do need to agree on what correct flashing is - and manufacturers' instructions are a good reference point to hold them to.

I'd agree with most of the sentiments expressed above. Ideally, you want everything completed by the book, but here are definitely things that are more important than others. As has been pointed out already, the window flashing here is the 5 alarm issue IMO. It sounds like you may still have some confusion on that aspect, post a description and/or pics if you would like any guidance on that.

good videos on YouTube for flashing details.

Id recommend the ones from DuPont.

We are brining in our local Tyvek rep to help make sure the window flashing is correct. We are in the process of scheduling a meeting next week with our contractor and the Tyvek rep.

toddinmn

I agree - have found some great videos on youtube.

The issue often comes down to not having an objective standard though - esp when it's a redo.

When you have the manufacturer's instructions, it takes a lot of the debate out of the issue... "here's the standard for if it's been done right..."

BTW: It also protects contractors - when they followed the manufacturers instructions.

Doesn't the manufacturer's instructions also sell a bunch more ancillary products for them as well? Anyone see what a roll of Tyvek tape costs or the Tyvek window flashing? Supremely expensive for what is mostly some branded clear packing tape in the case of the Tyvek housewrap tape.

The house wrap itself is an ancilary product. Not sure that id base the the project details on those instructions or a sales rep from that company. There are lots of resources out there to now how to properly flash a window theses days

winston1man and fridge2020

The windows, the window flashing and the house wrap are all primary and critical parts of the building envelope drainage plane. None of them -- particularly the house wrap -- are "ancillary products". In most cases the house wrap IS the drainage plane.

All of them must be installed according to manufacturers' instructions.

Many of these products are highly engineered. They have specific requirements and we should not substitute our limited knowledge for the manufacturer's in-depth knowledge about their product.

We cannot be chemist and engineers , for example, and anticipate how a particular tape adhesive formulation will perform over time, how it will respond to the house wrap, how it will oxidize, how it will respond to temperature extremes. The manufacturers do that. They also have product engineers who see common failures out in the field and over time and learn what caused them. Pay attention to what they have to say!

If the instructions say to use Tyvek tape - then use that tape (DuPont specifically says NOT to use duct tape, for example). If the instructions says to use a particular type of caulk - then use that caulk. If it says to roll the flashing with a J roller then do that.

If a job goes bad, the very first thing that will be asked is, "Was this installed according to manufactures' instructions?" Same if it goes to litigation. The question will not be, "Did Billy-Bob think it was ok?" or "What does YouTube have to say about the proper way to do this?" Anyone with a camera and a computer can post on Youtube - I've gotten some great info and not-so-great info there. If it wasn't installed according to instructions the manufacturer will walk away from any liability.

For the homeowner: going back and repairing windows / doors / siding / sheeting / mold / rot is really expensive and usually shows up 3-5-10 years after the initial check has cleared.

With siding, for example, if you don't prime the cut ends they will swell in 3-5 years. If you use aluminum flashing with fiber cement the flashing will turn to dust in a few years (and cause water issues). If you don't use SS nails or double dipped galvanized they will corrode. Most of these failures you will only see after several years and you have forgotten the contractor's name.

It's expensive and time consuming and often not successful to push the liability back to the contractor who is responsible.

Read the installation instructions and make sure the contractor is following them. It's so much easier than fixing things later.

I didn’t recommend disregardig the instructions. Im recommending against having a tyvek sales rep be the final judge on flashing of the openings. He not going to throw someone that installed his product under the bus, and may not even be qualified. Secondly, common sense deserves some play here too. I wonder how many warranty claims housewrap manufacturers paid out when it was specified to wrap into the ro on all 4 sides, creating eventual leaks. Lastly, manufacturer instructions are generally pretty vague because there are many different installation circumstances possible. No you generally should not install a product against the instruction from the manufacturer, but it’s setting up a false expectation to tell a homeowner that every building material on their home will even be able to be installed exactly as laid out in the instructions, down to every crossed T and dotted I.

You were saying that the house wrap is an ancillary product... it's not. Winston was suggesting that you could substitute tape and that the instructions were, in part, a marketing ploy to push more overpriced accessories (understandable, but not the right approach).

Tyvek, for example, provides really good info on how to deal with many (not all) common residential construction details.

A field rep is going to be diplomatic and not make the installer look bad... but they also don't want their product to fail (and look bad) because of improper install.

I hear you about common sense... but it's my experience that a large portion of failures happen because installers blatantly disregard installation instructions and "wing it" -- which sounds like what is going on with this installation job.

Where did anyone say that a WRB was "ancillary"?

They way I read winston's comment is about the tape part of the equation.

Tape (WRB seam tape), as stated before, is really for protecting the home from the elements during the construction phases. If your overlaps are correct and your flashing details are correct, you are going to be fine. I like the tape for envelope considerations, but I am also quite aware that nailing over the top of it clamps down the WRB to the sheathing pretty nicely and if you are ultimate concerned with envelope tightness, you need to detail out the sheathing first and foremost in a retrofit application (from in the inside if new construction). I also have seen stuff that was taped 10 years ago when built and has long since failed so if it is so critical to the construction of the drainage plain, we are all going to be in trouble.

Nobody is saying to not use all the parts and pieces here and if you use Tyvek, you need to use all of the Tyvek specified components to remain in compliance. If you are using RainDrop or other, you need to use their stuff. Pretty straightforward and I don't see anyone challenging that fact.

Homes have been put together for hundreds of years that didn't leak before Tyvek. If you are relying on some peal and stick to keep water out or your home dry, you are hosed (pardon the pun) way before it starts.

I am also wondering who is using uncoated aluminum coil here with fiber cement. We have pulled apart homes with failing hardie that have aluminum flashing (i.e. coated coil) and observed zero reactive oxidation with the alkalis in the FC. Same think with putting aluminum (coated) over PT ledger boards.

Aluminum flashing is the least of the worries that I see for most of the FC installed out there.

Fridge said it at the beginning of his post.

I'm not suggesting tape is overly critical to the drainage plane - as I said earlier it can prevent horizontal migration of water on a seam and helps with air sealing. Layering the wrap so that water drains down and away from the house is the most important thing for the drainage plane. Just like caulk, tape should never be the primary waterproofing element.

That said, DuPont is pretty clear about how tape is to be used with flashing detail (and that it is primarily for air sealing).

Homes have been built for hundreds of years using tar paper. And as I mentioned previously, those houses didn't have OSB under the siding (or even insulation for that matter). They also were very air leaky so they dried even after water intrusion into the wall. It's not a very applicable argument.

Again, my entire point is to follow the installation instructions - don't wing it... which is what it sounded like was happening with this installer. And when the homeowner is looking for a definitive resource for the proper way to install something look for the manufacturers' installation instructions.

The point about the aluminum flashing and such is that a simple substitution (painted vs unpainted aluminium flashing, for example) can make a huge difference that won't be noticed until much later.

I didn't read that from fridge. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and while I would agree that WRB is minimum code for a reason, I would also concede that it is a band-aid for usually poor worker product and unintelligent construction.

Definitely homes did dry out a bunch easier without tighter shells and insulation, but that is a bridge too far if we think that all the homes back then leaked and could just dry out. Insulation has been used for years and years and home weren't leaking and just drying out. Layered flashing details with an understanding to how water moves were more prevalent in construction 40 years ago than they are today.

Much of the reason for the deployment of all the WRB systems is that the construction tradesmen are fewer and farther between. Most stuff is production now and you won't find a ton of really quality tradesmen on the job sites any more.

Building Materials "intelligence" has had to get better to replace what has been lost on the human capital side of the equation.

Jake:

I agree with most of what you've said, but we've got to avoid engineer worship too. These are the guys that gave us the stupid Porter Cable router bases that were permanently thrown out of square with one pull off the bench and had 85 adjustable parts. The old rounded design never went out, had no parts to lose, but then these guys never leave the office and see the real world. Who would have thought pull-the-router-off-the-bench should have been an ASTM test? If you own or use a router, you're pulling it off the bench, believe me.

We wouldn't have solid surface seaming and thermoforming had we listened to the manufacturers who were quite content with silicone joints.

I pitch the sink clips Elkay provides. My sinks aren't coming down and I'm never getting any callbacks. They should be asking me how do install their products. In fact, they have.

If I have to choose between what some air conditioned pocket protector has pronounced or deviate and take my chances, I'm betting on me.

Joseph Corlett, LLC,

Who knew "Follow the manufacturers' instructions" could be controversial?!?

I'm not saying that bad building products were never produced. There have been some serious failures (LP siding, de-zinking pex plumbing fittings, flammable high-rise cladding) I'm also not saying that superior installation methods and components aren't sometimes available. (Forget Teflon tape, I've always used Permatex #2 on gas line threads and they will never ever, ever leak.)

I am saying that the vast majority of installers do not have the technical depth of knowledge to substitute or disregard installation instructions. I am also saying that when homeowners have a question about what is "proper and correct" and need a reference, look at the installation instructions. In residential work, bad installs are vastly more prevalent than faulty products. I am also suggesting that products that deal with preventing water intrusion (including shower enclosures btw) are much more likely to do major and costly damage that goes undetected over time than almost any other system other than a faulty foundation. If one of your sink installs falls, it's pretty obvious what happened and who's responsible. Not so with a bad window flashing install that goes undetected for years.

Many of the major building product manufacturers do have field reps / engineers who do get out in the field. They learn why their products fail in the field under real world installs. James Hardie, just for example, has changed their installation instructions over time.

Windows on Washington Ltd, I've done a fair amount of work on old homes. My experience is admittedly limited to the mid-west. The older homes I've worked on range from some in the 1880's to many in the 1900's and 1910-20's as well as the 1940's. What I can tell you is that the wood framed homes in the 1880's - 1920's used mostly wood (cedar) siding with very little flashing (very little copper at times) and they had tar paper under the siding.

If there was sheeting at all under the cedar siding and tar paper it was 1x boards - usually diagonally - not solid panels of glued OSB or plywood. To say that the walls weren't airtight is a huge understatement. We didn't see insulation installed in the walls commonly until the 1960's. (Insulation can act as a sponge and trap water in the wall). Those walls did see water intrusion especially around the windows, doors and band boards and especially after some years. They survived precisely because they were able to dry out instead of rot - not because the build quality or workmanship was so much better.

I am sure we could go on and on with each of us contending that we are right.

I would wholeheartedly disagree with you if your idea is that the construction talent (on the total) is as good today as it was 40 years ago. Not even close. Most of these homes are manufactured now and you can get a corner to touch on a speed square.

Insulation will hold moisture in it but it will also let it dry out quite easily. The larger issue with insulation is that is keeps room side head from reaching the back of the sheathing and if the home is otherwise poorly sealed (especially in balloon framing) you will have gobs of warm and moisture laden air reaching the sheathing that could previously leave readily and wouldn't condense against the sheathing that was warmed above dew point. Add insulation to the mix without also updating the air barrier and now you have really cold sheathing with warm air mixing. Not a good combo.

Windows and doors (and any other wall interruptions) are always going to be your leak points back then and now. Lets not operate under the false presumption that folks were much more proactive about maintaining their home back then than they are now. Things get neglected, sills rot out, and things leak.

Nothing about Tyvek is going to change that and especially when you tape the bottom flange into the wall like was done on the huge townhouse development that I passed by the grocery store last week.